Researchers at Columbia University say that New Jersey is spending nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money that state workers may not need.State workers

EDISON - Researchers at Columbia University say that New Jersey is spending nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money that state workers may not need.

State workers staged the largest protest in New Jersey history this past spring over Gov. Chris Christie's (R-N.J.) plan to lay off as many as 1,300 workers. According to researchers at Columbia University, Christie isn't going far enough with his cuts.

The report says even after factoring in things such as population and cost of living, New Jersey has 18,000 more jobs than one would expect. They say it costs $485 million more a year than expected, according to their most conservative estimates.